Radical operation for recurring gastric carcinoma

The effectiveness of surgical treatment for recurring gastric carcinoma is unclear. We conducted a retrospective review of our results with a radical surgical approach to the treatment of gastric cancer metastases.

Nine patients who underwent radical resection of recurring gastric cancer between 1990 and 2003 were examined and follow-up was completed by March 2003.

The surgically removed recurring sites included local lesions (4 patients), as well as metastases in the liver (4 patients) and ovary (1 patient). There were no major complications or operative deaths. The mean operative time was 380 minutes; the mean intraoperative blood loss was approximately 525mL and the mean volume of transfused blood was 178mL. Re-recurrence appears in 8 patients between 1.5 and 26 months (average 8.5 months) following surgical resection. The sites of re-recurrence included the peritoneum, liver, lymph nodes, bone, as well as local lesions. One patient currently shows no evidence of disease more than 6 years after resection of the local recurrence. Two other patients remain alive, but presented with re-recurrence at 4 and 10 months postoperatively. The remaining 6 patients died of cancer between 2 and 28 months after surgery for recurring lesions.

Radical surgery for recurring gastric cancer both liver and extrahepatic lesions is a safe treatment with a good prognosis for long-term survival in a select patient subpopulation.